


Sirens Call

by MikelaArts



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Mentions of self inflicted trauma, Other, Siren Rhys, Sirens are sold as products, Slow Burn, So will Rhys, Trans Rhys, Transphobia, Zer0 is gonna need a lot of help, Zer0 learns about humans, metions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 16:40:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13505550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikelaArts/pseuds/MikelaArts
Summary: “You’ll love her, she’s a real challenge.” Rhys watched as Jack turned the corner, leaving him with this stranger. He didn’t know if he should be grateful that he’d never see that lunatic again or terrified that he was now stuck with this I-just-shot-somebody-and-didn’t-flinch person.Instead of only 5 sirens existing in the universe it's only 5% of the population is sirens. Because of this Sirens are usually sold off as slaves each one being categorized by their powers. Everything else is the same except Jack never goes to Pandora so Roland and Bloodwing are still alive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a story I came up with at work. I'm not sure how long it will be yet but I will try to update it once a week. I got to college and work full time on top of trying to get my comic started so I may miss some weeks but I will finish this story! So far I have about ten more chapters planned, could be longer though. The story will smooth out any other confusions on how this takes place without Jack, anywho, enjoy the story!

Rhys observed the party goers with disgust. While they flaunted their overpriced dresses or tuxedos, he was stuck wearing some revealing garment with too tight chains around his wrists and neck. The top he wore cut right below his faded scars, leaving his midriff exposed. The sleeves he wore came up to his elbows, leaving his shoulders out to the open, at least his pants covered his legs completely. He wore a tight mask across his mouth, to prevent him from saying anything, and his hair was brushed forward to make it look longer than it actually was. He felt as if he looked like a walking display, and to be truthful he was, all the people here were potential buyers after all. 

Jack gave Rhys no time to wander through his thoughts however, yanking him towards a man sitting at a long red desk. From an outsiders point of view he appeared to be some kind of tailor with his long apron, glasses, and measuring tape, but Rhys new better. This man was going to size him up to put a price on him. If he was lucky he’d be worth more than average, if he wasn’t Jack would bring him back to Helios and, well, Rhys would rather not think about that right now. 

“License and papers first. Have her sit on the desk.” The tailor yawned boredly as he took the papers from Jack, scanning through them.

“Sit down kiddo.” Jack yanked Rhys over to the table by his chain, forcing the man to hit it. Rhys sent him his best glare before climbing onto the table and sitting down to be examined.

“Her medical history seems about right, her height is pretty tall for her age, and her weight is very below average, you need to watch how you're feeding her. Remember a dead siren is worth nothing.” Rhys watched as the two men moved around each other, talking over prices as if he wasn’t a living breathing person. Rhys took the chance to glance around the room to survey the area. There wasn’t many people here as this was a small function, but strangely enough he was the only Siren. Usually there was at least one other here, unless this was a private occasion. Scanning over the crowd once more a sign caught Rhys’ eyes, flashing a bright “Emergency ship” in red. If he could make it over there he could flee from this place. He just needed to focus.

He was yanked from his thoughts as he felt the front of his shirt begin to rise. Immediately he pulled against his chains, attempting to move away from the merchant to no avail.

“She did that herself? And the hysterectomy?” The tailor poked at one of Rhys’ scars before readjusting the shirt.

“She did it some years ago, if you try to replace em she’ll just carve it out again. Damn near killed herself doing it the first time.” Jack turned towards the merchant again, asking how it would affect the price. Rhys ignored the tears pricking his eyes knowing that it was just from embarrassment. Honestly, he should be used to it by now, this wasn’t his first auction.

“Powers?” 

“Healing. She can relieve someone of pain and close injuries with some time. Can’t regrow limbs though, and if she exerts herself she will pass out. She can do a small burst of power as well but rarely. So no attack moves whatsoever.” Jack watched as the merchant made a few more numbers on his paper.

“Well despite her obvious problems that healing part will fetch you a good price. Let me just check her teeth, eyes and ears and you’ll be good to go on stage.” The merchant moved towards Rhys again, waiting for Jack to remove the mask.

“Behave pumpkin.” Rhys only nodded as Jack slapped his cheek lightly, knowing better than to speak as the merchant poked around his mouth. He glanced around the room again, watching as most of the people crowded the table, ready to place their bids on the new siren. He watched how the only guard left his post to speak to one of the party goers. He watched as Jack turned his back once more to look over the money he was about to receive. He watched and took a deep breath.

With one word the people were sent crashing into each other, falling down from the force of Rhys’ power. He took that moment to make a mad dash for the emergency ship. He didn’t think about his chains or how he heard Jack screaming curses after him. All he needed was to get inside of the ship, he could pilot with his hands tied together. He heard another shout before he was yanked to the side, a bullet passing by him. He tried to move from the person but their grip was strong, not relenting in the slightest. Rhys froze as the guard from earlier pointed his gun at him, ready to shoot another bullet if needed.

“There’s no need to shoot./ She’s not going anywhere./” Rhys looked up at the person holding him, finding a figure in a tuxedo, pieces of armor poking out from underneath. Their head was obscured by the long black helmet they wore. Said person pulled Rhys back towards the table where the merchant and Jack finalized a price. “How much does she cost?” 

“According to this man here about $600,000 but I’m willing to bargain since you just saved me from having to clean up a mess.” Jack gave the person an ugly smile, obviously hoping to get the auction going.

“$900,000./” Jacks smile grew at the persons offer, Rhys staring at them both in utter disgust. 

“I have 900, 925? Anyone 925?” The merchant looked around the room, seeing if anyone else would jump in when the first bid was already so high. A man near Rhys rose his hand, ready to call out a here. Before he could say anything the person whipped out a pistol, shooting the man in the foot. The crowd fell silent, taking two feet back from the person and Rhys as the other man screamed about his foot.

“I’m on a tight schedule./” The person placed their gun back into their pocket, pulling out money instead.

“Well I like the way you work, you give me the money, I give you the siren, it's a win win.” With that, Jack took the money from the person, carelessly tossing them the key to Rhys’ chains. He counted the money twice, not caring to notify the person that they gave an extra $50,000, before turning and walking back to his ship.

“You’ll love her, she’s a real challenge.” Rhys watched as Jack turned the corner, leaving him with this stranger. He didn’t know if he should be grateful that he’d never see that lunatic again or terrified that he was now stuck with this I-just-shot-somebody-and-didn’t-flinch person. He wasn’t given time to wonder as he was pulled towards the ship docks. He didn’t bother pulling against the chains this time, not with the trigger happy guard watching him. Instead he waited until he was on the ship to snatch his chains away from the person and seating himself.

“Would you like those off?” Rhys looked up from his lap to see the person standing in front of him, with just armor on now, the suit nowhere to be seen. He gave a hesitant nod, not sure if this was some kind of trap. The person leaned down, unlocking the chains and pulling them off slowly almost as if not to aggravate the wounds. Rhys immediately rubbed at his wrists, already focusing on healing them. The person stood, tossing a blanket towards Rhys to cover himself with before making their way to the steering wheel.

“Buckle yourself in./ And please don’t attack me while/ I am piloting.” The person buckled themselves into the driver's seat before taking off from the station. Rhys quickly buckled himself in, wondering how exactly he was supposed to attack this person if they drove like a 98 year old grandma on steroids. All Rhys could think about was how happy he was that he was away from Jack but also how terrified he was that he’d just become a slave to this new person. If they even were a person, Rhys couldn’t even get a good read on their biosignature through that suit. Although it didn’t matter much because the exhaustion from the day quickly caught up to him, making him pass out shortly after.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys learns more about his owners planet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEahhhh I think I'm going to upload an update every two weeks. School and work are killing me and I've barely had any time to draw or write. I was supposed to upload this yesterday and I thought I did but nope, my bad.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I have so many great ideas for this story

Rhys came too just in time to see the ship taking a nosedive. He let out a scream as he watched the town grow closer and closer before the person finally pulled up, dangerously close to crashing. They flew the ship into a docking area, landing on one of the many platforms. Rhys held his breath until the ship safely landed, not trusting this person to even park correctly. Immediately after the ship stopped moving he ripped off his seatbelt, hand flying up to cover his mouth. 

“Ready to depart?/” The person stood next to the exit, patiently waiting as Rhys swallowed back down the bile. 

“It’s not like I have much choice now do I.” Rhys flinched internally at his snappy tone, remembering that this person could very well put him back in those chains. Instead of scolding him however the person simply shrugged, walking off the ship. With no idea where he was or what to do Rhys ran after them quickly, not wanting to be abandoned on this strange planet. Halfway out the docks for the ships a robot flew into his face, flashing a red light over his body. A man's garbled voice came through the small speaker with a shaky hologram. 

“Halt, you aren't registered in our visiting rights. Turn around now or we’ll send- Oh hello Zer0.” The robot turned towards the person as they gave a small wave. “She's with-” The person was cut off from their sentence as Rhys snarled at them. He was tired of all these damn buyers, if they were going to own him they could at least respect him. It’s not like he had any rights to his own body as is. “He. I'm a man asshole, not a woman.” Rhys turned away from them quickly afterwards, not wanting to see his punishment head on. Instead of getting slapped across the head like he expected, or worse, the person just patted his shoulder, clearing their throat. 

“My Apologies./ He's with me, Roland.” Rhys tried not to let his surprise show on his face. This was probably some elaborate trick to make him warm up to the person so he could be used for his healing later. He wasn't falling for it. “Oh she- he’s a siren huh? Sorry this robot has such shitty video processing that I couldn't see the tattoos. C'mon and bring him into sanctuary, the girls are out right now but they should be back in a few days.” The robot flew away, Zer0 following behind it at a casual pace. Rhys kept his distance from them as they walked out the docks into some dystopian type city. The buildings seemed stable but were cracked from with years of use or damage. The towns people weren’t in rags for say but they were dressed as if ready for a battle at any moment. Rhys wondered just what planet he was on that everyone seemed to be more on edge, not like on Earth where he used to live.

Rhys glanced around briefly, finding a road that seemed to leave out the city. If he could get the slip on this Zer0 person he could find himself free of this life once and for all. He wasn't stupid though, he knew this Zer0 had senses unlike a human, he’d have to create some distance first. Cautiously he made the space between the two greater and greater until he could no longer see them in the crowd. Taking the opportunity Rhys booked it towards the road, glancing behind him often to make sure he wasn't followed. The townspeople paid him no mind and Rhys found himself smiling at his new found freedom, that is until he was free falling. Granted he only really fell for a second before he was hauled back onto land but falling was falling. He felt his entire body go rigid as he realized that this town was floating in the air, not situated on the ground like a town should be. He took a few short breaths, panting as he realized he'd almost died in the dumbest way possible. 

“Please stay beside me./” Rhys looked up to Zer0 wondering how the hell they managed to find him, how they were able to appear out of nowhere, and how had they so effortlessly pulled Rhys back onto land. This time Zer0 grabbed him by the arm, dragging him along to the destination. Rhys was determined to make everything harder for them whether it be dragging his feet or making himself dead weight. Zer0 didn't seem to care however, simply pulling him along like he was a child. They arrived inside some headquarters type place where a blonde, blue eyed teenage girl was spinning in a chair, much to the dismay of the woman with a pixie cut. 

“Oh look Tina, the mysterious alien has bought you someone to play dress up with, now please leave me be. I can only stand the interaction of children for so long before I can feel my ovaries shriveling up.” The woman kicked the chair towards Zer0, the alien catching the girl effortlessly, all the while never letting go of Rhys. “I'm 16 you whackjob! Zer0 my man, oops my main person, whatever, I don't know, what's up brotha? I see you done bought me a fine little lady to fix up.” The girl stood from the chair, adjusting the psycho mask on her head. 

“He would like male clothes Tina./ Try a suit for him.” The girl let out a long whistle as she skipped towards one of the rooms. 

“You already know I can whip up an outfit for your little man real quick. Let me get those measurements baby!” Tina held up a measuring tape making Rhys immediately pull against Zer0’s grip. He knew the kindness of this person was just a facade, that they had real plans for him. Of course, maybe male sirens would be worth more than females, maybe Jack just wasn't selling him right. He knew he couldn’t trust anyone in this world, not as long as those blue lines cursed his body. He should have tried harder to escape. Good job Rhys. 

“Let me go you faceless fucking bastard!” Rhys hit the aliens chest and scratched at their hand to no avail. The girl seemed to be confused, looking between them as if this never happened before. Rhys grew more frantic with his movements, his breathing becoming rapid. He looked towards the exit, figuring that flinging himself off this rock would be better than becoming another slave. Taking a deep breath he stilled himself, focusing his energy, “Phase-!” He was silenced as a large hand wrapped around his mouth, cutting off his spell. 

“Now now little guy just take a deep breath. I'm sure our stoic friend hasn't told you much. I’ll explain everything to you in just a moment. I'm just going to keep my hand here just in case but I'm not going to hurt you alright? No one is here to hurt you.” A large man came into Rhys’ view, a gentle smile on his face. Rhys recognized him as Roland, the one from the robot’s video feed. Tina and Zer0 took a step away from him, holding their hands up in a peaceful gesture. 

“My name's Roland. I’m the leader here in Sanctuary, a reserve for people like you. We help Sirens across the galaxy and save them from slavery so they can live here peacefully on Pandora or go back to their original homes. That girl over there is Tina. She just wants to take your measurements to get you out of slave clothing, not sell you okay? We all just want to help you, not harm you. Everyone here has a job and hers is just to help dress you guys. I know Zer0 can be a little intimidating but they're here to help as well.”

As if to emphasize this, Zer0 gave a small nod a dull red “:D” projected from their mask. Rhys gave a small nod back, still not trusting of these people but not wanting to waste his energy on a fight he would lose. Roland gave him another smile, letting go of his mouth and holding up his hands. “Now how about some new clothes?”

  
  


Rhys starred in the mirror in...awe to put it simply. Although his outfit was a bit bizarre, with his suit pants having vertical lines down one side while being plain on the other, a red tie tucked into his pants against a sky blue shirt, a jacket that only covered one arm leaving his robot arm exposed and….skag leather shoes, he was happy. He hadn't been in a suit in almost five years. Not since his parents sold him away for money. He hadn't been able to dress the way he wanted to or do what he wanted to do so this was a little freeing. He ran his human hand through his hair, pushing it back to give him a more masculine look. 

“You look nice in it./” Rhys immediately covered himself despite being fully clothed. He couldn't help the sneer that rose to his face as he caged himself in, knowing he looked more like a cornered mouse than a fierce lion. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard the words after changing his outfit. The alien rose up their hands again in a peaceful gesture, nodding towards the door. 

“C'mon, you must be starving./” Rhys was ready to protest but couldn't deny that his stomach had been aching since before yesterday. Afterall, Jack wasn't big on feeding resistant slaves. He hesitantly took a step forward, following the alien out the dressing room and into a sort of common room. There was takeout sitting on the table ranging from pizza to Chinese food. 

“Sorry about all this, it was Tina’s turn to pick tonight.” Roland gave a lopsided smile as Tina put down some Indian noodles. “I may spoil her a bit.” Tina gasped in fake shock, throwing herself down on the sofa. “You mean I don't get spoiled enough. Sit down with yo bad self and eat some grub! You better hurry boy, the second Brick and Mordecai get here all hell will break loose!” Tina grabbed a slice of pizza and threw it on top of her Indian food, eating the two together like it was nothing. 

Rhys nervously looked at the food, wondering how much he could grab and how long he had to eat before those two men took it away from him. Zer0 seemed to read his discomfort, speaking from the wall, “You can take some home.” 

 

“Home?” Rhys asked his question the same time Roland started choking, Tina frantically patting his back and telling him not to die. “You're taking him home with you? You've never-er I mean of course! Zer0 is an amazing host. He’ll make you feel right at uh, home!” Rhys turned towards Zer0, just missing the glint of a sword being put away. He looked between the two, wondering how he was supposed to read the situation. 

Letting out a sigh he sat back on the sofa, not bothering with scavenging for food. Zer0 pushed themselves off the wall, grabbing some of the boxes and tucking them into a bag. “I'll be taking my/ leave now. Tell me when Maya/ returns. Let's go Rhys.” Rhys tensed at the mention of his name, wondering when did he ever tell anyone his preferred name. It must have been in the files Jack handed over once they were on the ship, either that or this alien could read minds. Rhys decided not to think on it too much, following them out the building. 

As they were leaving two men walked in, one Rhys swore resembled a bird and the other looked as if he wouldn't fit through the door. He averted his attention to Zer0, following them to their home. They took several turns before climbing many stairs and walking across some roofs before he landed on a patio, a door marked with a circle with an upside down V. They unlocked the door, ushering Rhys inside before locking the several million locks once more. Rhys confirmed that he was staying with a paranoid alien when he saw all the guns and swords littered across the apartment. 

“I'm a vault hunter./” They said it as if they were slightly embarrassed by the mass amount of weapons they owned. Rhys had no clue what a vault hunter was so he just nodded, stepping around the items. “This will be your room for now./” Zer0 opened the door to one of the rooms. Surprisingly it was completely clean having a dresser, bed and computer inside. Rhys stepped into the room and looked around cautiously. 

Opening the drawers revealed some boxers and t-shirts, all brand new like the alien just recently brought them. They must have left when Rhys was having his clothes designed for him. Zer0 inspected the room, testing out the locks on the window and the locks on the inside of the door before nodding. Rhys would be having a panic attack by now if the locks were on the other side. It seemed this guy wanted to keep things out, not in which….worried Rhys a little. Just what planet was he stranded on?

“Its safe. Goodnight Rhys.” They handed him the bag of takeout, grabbing one container and going into the other room. It wasn't long until Rhys heard a dozen locks being set into place. He let out a small sigh and took a glance towards the computer. Well if no one was going to stop him he might as well upgrade his eye and arm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys thinks back onto his old life while trying to get comfortable in Sanctuary. New characters are mentioned as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is being uploaded on Tuesday instead of Monday! I had a huge exam today that was worth 20% of my grade and spent all of Monday working on it! Paid off though because I got a 95 on it so heres an extra long chapter for your patience!

The only thing that lights up the room is the dull white light emitting from the computer. Lines of code dash across the screen quickly but the man reads it just as fast, chewing on the last remains of his takeout. He sets the pizza aside, rubbing at his eyes, careful of the hole on his right side. His robotic arm and eye lay limp on the table, occasionally lighting up as a new update was added. Rhys checked the time again along with the progress of the final upgrade. It was currently three in the morning, he’d spent about nine hours working on the damn things. It could have been done faster but, well, Rhys wasn’t exactly a top engineer after being out the game for so long. There were new techniques he had to look up, new programmings he’d never seen before. Honestly it was...exhilarating. He hadn’t learned this much since his senior year of high school, before his life went to hell. He glanced back towards the screen as the percentage went up by one. He supposed he could rest his eye, after all, staring at that much code turned his brain to mush after a while. He would just rest for a moment and then go right back to it…

 

Rhys woke to three sharp knocks at his door. Immediately he was on the defensive, feeling vulnerable now that he was missing some body parts. He held his breath as he stared at the door, waiting for the knocks to come again. He waited for a long minute before realizing that they weren’t coming. Quickly he reattached his arm to his body, despite his fast movements the task still took about fifteen minutes. A part of him told him to just ignore the gesture as it was safer in his own room with his locked door. Another part of him told him he should open the door because… well why not? If they wanted to they could have just barged in instead of knocking, he didn’t want to keep them waiting much longer. Curiosity getting the best of him Rhys made his way to the door. He wondered what it meant that he could still feel curious after everything that’s happened before wiping that thought from his mind, he didn’t want to go down that road so early in the morning. He cracked the door open slowly, peering into the hallway. There was no one there. 

Cautiously Rhys opened the door fully, glancing down the hall in both directions still seeing nothing. He glanced down and was surprised to see a plate with three plain eggs sitting on top with a slice of bread. He picked up the plate, catching the eggs before they could roll off.

“What the fuck?” Rhys glanced down the hallway again before taking the items into his room. He didn’t understand why it was there but it was obviously meant for him. He let out a sigh at the weird behavior, re-locking his door and heading towards the computer to finish upgrading his eye. 

After an hour Rhys was finally put back together, feeling a lot more confident now that he actually had some more control over his machinery. His arm was finally on par with his real arm, no longer having a small delay like it used to have. His eye was now able to access the universal database, letting him look up items with ease. He no longer saw a gritty image from that eye but instead a crystal clear view like he needed. Rhys sat back in his chair happily as he held up his arm, a small holoscreen popping up. He browsed through various articles, wondering what exactly he missed during his five years off the grid. 

Once the scrolling began to overwhelm him Rhys logged back into his old email. Immediately he was flooded with various emails, most of it spam but others were from long forgotten friends. That’s right, Rhys thought suddenly, none of them knew what had happened to him. After graduation the second he walked back into his house his parents were standing there with a man. 

_ “Rhys this man is Vasquez, he’s here from Hyperion. I want you to change out of those rags and into this for me.” His mother held up a garment that Rhys had seen plenty of times before from his history lessons. It was slave clothing. He took a step back from the people who raised him, staring at them with disgust across his face. _

__ _ “What are you talking about? I’m going to college remember? With Vaughn, Sasha and Fiona!” Rhys stood his ground as his parents stared at them with disapproving looks. He had already planned this all out, he had already been accepted into the college on a full ride scholarship, they had helped him do it themselves! Why were they doing this to him? _

__ _ “There is no college Rhys, we only told you that to make you happy. We’ve already explained your situation to them so they’ve pulled you out. Now come on, we don't have all day. Our flight leaves in a few hours.” Rhys’ father tapped his foot impatiently, having come out the room with luggage. Flight? Since when were they planning to travel? His parents had never been the type to even leave town! _

__ _ “You can’t do this to me! I’m your son!” Rhys’ flinched in fear as his mother slammed down her foot, her voice raising. _

__ _ “Don’t you be so selfish! We let you have a childhood didn’t we?! Do you know how many Sirens were able to have that?! Most were sold as soon as they were born! We spent our time and our money raising you so that you could have a good life! Now it’s time that you repaid us, now get changed Chloe!” Rhys felt as if he was going to throw up at the sound of his birth name. He turned quickly to run out the house but was yanked back and thrown to the floor. His father and mother manhandled him into his room quickly stripping him of his clothes and binder before putting him in the revealing clothes. They pulled him roughly out the room, ignoring his pleas and tears before handing him to the man. Vasquez held his arms behind his back, handcuffing him and sealing his mouth shut. _

__ _ “I’m sorry for the struggle sir, she can be such a handful sometimes!” The man kissed Rhys’ mother’s hand before giving his father a handshake.  _

__ _ “Oh don’t worry about it, it’s actually good she has so much spirit. They usually pay more so that they can break them themselves.” Rhys tried to stop the tears as they flowed down his face as the man forced him into a car. The last he saw of his parents they were loading up their own car, ready to live their lives child free. _

 

Rhys shook his head several times to rid himself of the memories. He swore to himself he wouldn’t think about that day, he would lock that memory up and stow it away for life. He racked through his mind for a moment trying to remember his friends emails. He quickly typed them in once he remembered, shooting them a quick email of where he was and what happened. He waited for a few minutes before his screen lit up, indicating that he received a new email. Before he could click on the message another three knocks sounded on his door. Rhys checked the time realizing it was well past lunch before unlocking the door and looking into the hall. Once again there was no-one there. Rhys took a deep breath before looking down at the ground.

Sitting on a new plate was more slices of bread, a bag of peanuts, a stick of butter, and some grapes. Rhys picked up the plate and brought it into his room, practically slamming the door shut. Was this the damn aliens plan? Slowly starve him to death with crappy food? Rhys stewed in his angry for a moment as he ate the grapes before remembering the message. He smiled to himself as he went t the email. 

The smile was wiped from his face as he read the message repeatedly. 

_ Invalid recipient. Message not sent. _

For the first time in a long time Rhys felt utterly disappointed. He didn’t know how badly he wanted to see his friends again until the means to contact them was available to him. He choked back a sob as the tears ran down his face. For a moment he went to his dark place, how could he go on when he didn’t even have anyone to rely on?... Rhys took a deep breath as he wiped that thought away, it didn’t matter if he was utterly alone. Rhys didn’t lose his eye and his arm to give up just because he couldn’t contact his friends. He didn’t maim himself just to quit because he couldn’t find them. He was going to get through this hell hole, find his friends, and start his own life again. He quickly wiped his eyes, feeling himself become determined once again. But first he was going to have to confront that alien. Rhys unlocked his door silently then waited near it, passing the time by looking at random DIY forums on his hand.

At seven o-clock on the dot there were three knocks at his door. Before the first knock could finish however, Rhys had already flung open the door, stopping the alien in their tracks. A dull “!” shined in Rhys’ face as they stood there frozen, holding a plate in one hand and the other raised to knock.

“That’s impressive speed./” They tilted their head to the side, almost as if they were miffed that Rhys’ got the upper hand on them.

“What the fuck is that.” Rhys stared at the new plate, this one having a potato, an uncooked corn cob, and raw meat sitting on top. The “!” changed to a “:D” as they pushed the plate to Rhys’ chest.

“It is your dinner, eat up./” Rhys stared at the alien before taking the plate, grimacing at the smell of raw meat.

“Is this some kind of joke? Why would you even think that I could

digest this? Are you trying to starve me?” The alien took the plate back from him, inspecting it before giving it back.

“I read a cookbook.” They tilted their head to the side with a “?” glowing on their mask. A cookbook. Wow. Rhys felt like slamming his face into the wall.

“Come here, let me show you something.” Rhys led them into his room, guiding them over to the desk with the previous plates. “I have no clue what on earth you were thinking but just because you give me the ingredients doesn’t mean I can magically make it into something edible inside my room. Doesn’t work that way. When it says eggs and bread, it means you're supposed to cook the eggs and toast the bread. When it says peanut butter and jelly sandwich it means  _ peanut-butter  _ not peanuts and butter and grape jelly is an actual thing, not just grapes. Lastly you're supposed to mash the potato, cook the corn, and for god's sake cook the meat. Seriously have you never cooked before? Or I don’t know, seen anyone cook before?” They shook their head a “:(“ shining towards Rhys.

“I sit alone to/ eat while they cook, I haven't/ done this before you.” Rhys feels a little guilty at his outburst, sighing and picking up the plates. It was clear that Zer0 was trying to be courteous but they were just...alien to the concept.

“Well lucky for you I’m self sufficient. I’ll cook from now on, just don’t be in my way.” Rhys moved to the kitchen, surprised to find actual ingredients and utensils to use. “What on earth did you eat before?” The image quickly flickered to another “:D” as they sat up straight, no longer feeling defeated after their ‘lecture.’

“Raw meat.” Rhys tried not to show the shiver that went down his spine at the answer. He was living with a true animal. 

  
  


“And that’s how you cook it. I’m not sure if you’ll remember any of this so I guess I'll just cook from now on.” Rhys sat back in his chair as he finished the last bits of his steak. A sense of calm had settled over the room, although he was still wary of the alien he no longer felt as if his life was in danger. Rhys was a logical thinker, maybe a little rash but logical. The alien had yet to lay their hands on him in a negative way and has also been overly kind. Rhys knew this place wasn’t going to be like the others but he also knew not to get too comfortable. After all this was just a safe haven for sirens, it doesn't mean they’ll provide for him or protect him. He suspected that it'd be a month before they sent him on his way to restart his life. At least he wasn’t a slave any longer.

Rhys glanced up at Zer0 as they stood, making their way to their room. A small beeping sounded the apartment, similar to a new message alert. Rhys let out a sigh before moving to clean the dishes. He muttered a song under his breath as he scrubbed away, missing the knock at the door. He turned around to head back to his room, stopping when he saw a woman standing in the middle of the kitchen.

“You must be Rhys, hi there I’m Maya.” Rhys stared at the woman with suspicion, ignoring her extended hand, backing up into the sink. He secretly used his eye to scan her vital signs, assessing that she could be a threat if she wanted to. An attack siren, specialized in disablement. “Er right, you were just rescued. It might take some time to get settled in with people who don’t want to hurt you right? Let me start over. I’m Maya, a siren just like you. I came to Sanctuary some years ago after escaping the monks who held me prisoner. What about you?” Rhys stared at the woman's gentle smile for a moment before glancing around the room. Zer0 was leaning against the wall leading to the hallway, almost looking as if they wouldn't let him escape unless he socialized.

“I’m Rhys… I was bought into slavery five years ago after completing high school. That’s, uh, that’s all I really want to share right now.” Rhys scratched the back of his neck, glancing at the floor. He didn’t like being under this woman’s gaze one bit.

“Don’t worry I won’t pry. I usually help out new sirens and teach them how to control their powers as well as helping them get settled into Sanctuary. If you grab your items I’ll be happy to take you with me to where the Sirens stay until they can get back on their feet. You’ll love it there, there’s many people just like you.” Maya reached forward for Rhys’ hand, the smile still on her face. He immediately recoiled, slamming his back into the sink. A frown crossed her face as he cowered, Zer0 coming in between them. 

 

_ Didn’t I tell you to stay still you worthless girl! Come here! _

 

“S-Sorry I just...doubt there’s people there like me. We may have all went through the same process but my experience is nothing like yours. You didn’t have to be in a body that isn’t- that doesn’t… Can I just stay here? Please?” Rhys didn’t want to be surrounded by the others. He had an experience with many female Sirens before and the end result was him missing an eye. He didn’t want to be in that situation again, not if he could help it. Zer0 and Maya exchanged a look- well as much as a look as Zer0 could give her- before nodding.

“I understand that your experiences may have been different given your gender and that many sirens may not have been kind about it. Zer0 is willing to watch over you until you feel safe enough to stay with me. While here though please respect their privacy as they don't usually have people over, let alone stay with them.” Maya let out a sigh, pushing her hair back behind her ear before looking at Zer0 again, turning back to Rhys. “Here’s my echo, call me if you ever have any questions or need any help okay? I’ll drop by tomorrow and give you a proper tour of Sanctuary and see what I can do for your arm and eye.” Rhys flinched again at her words, looking down at his arm self consciously.

“What’s wrong with my eye and arm?” 

“It’s seriously outdated man. That tech is probably from decades ago. I’ll have Gaige hook you up with a new one within the week. You,” She turned towards Zer0 now, “You already know what I’m going to tell you so I won’t say it out loud. I will be messaging you later tonight, you better pick up.” Rhys wondered what exactly the alien had done to her in the past that she had to cut her eyes at them like that but he was guessing it was something bad. A dull red “(◔_◔)” lit up the room. The woman’s fists immediately curled up and Rhys felt as if he was going to have to break up a fight. If looks could kill the alien would be a pile on the floor by now.

“You are so infuriating. I'll see you two tomorrow, be safe Rhys.” She gave him a gentle smile, leaving the house once more. Rhys let out a sigh, forcing his breathing to become normal again. He hadn’t realized he’d locked up so bad when she mentioned the others.

“You need to shower./” Rhys looked up as Zer0 shoved some clothing into his face before directing him to the bathroom. He couldn’t even question them as they left to their room straight afterwards. He could guess that he probably reeked and the alien probably had some kind of super smell. Still the alien could have been kinder about it instead of basically pushing him into the bathroom. Well, his life could be a lot worse right now he supposed. He could still be with Jack he supposed. Rhys set about to taking out his electronic parts before drawing a bath. Might as well relax, tomorrow was sure to be hectic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zer0: (◔_◔)  
> Maya: (ง •̀_•́)ง  
> Rhys: (´･д･`)


End file.
